


Karoeto

by YaminoTenshi202



Series: Dev's Saiyan-verse [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Bullying, Childhood, Childhood Trauma, Cousin Incest, Cultural Differences, Dev's Saiyan Culture, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Innocence, Languages and Linguistics, Pregnancy, Sibling Incest, Space Battles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22222051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaminoTenshi202/pseuds/YaminoTenshi202
Summary: It was a simple phrase, and it was one that was not used often. Bardock knew this, but he should have expected that his cousin would one day use the term incorrectly.It had to be a mistake.Right?--or--The times that a lower-class Saiyan warrior was loved, and the times they finally accepted it
Relationships: Bardock/Gine (Dragon Ball), Bardock/Gine/Toma/Seripa | Fasha (Dragon Ball), Bardock/Seripa | Fasha (Dragon Ball), Bardock/Toma (Dragon Ball), Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Future Trunks Briefs/Son Gohan, Gine/Seripa | Fasha (Dragon Ball), Raditz & Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Raditz/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Seripa | Fasha/Toma (Dragon Ball), Son Gohan/Son Goku, Son Gohan/Son Goten, Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Tome/Gine (Dragon Ball), Trunks Briefs/Son Goten
Series: Dev's Saiyan-verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1604260
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. Age 660 - Gine and Bardock

**Author's Note:**

> Backgrounds: The culture of the Saiyans places a heavy emphasis on the numbers 0, 3, 8, "all", and "the uncountable". There are 8 bloodlines in the Saiyan Race - these family trees extend very much and they can pass through patriarchal or matriarchal lines depending on the bloodline. This creates disparities where the lines between family members are drawn, leading to cultural different relationships.
> 
> Patriarchal - Moto bloodline - Bardock (born Age 607), Gine (born Age 645), Raditz (born Age 723), Kakarot (born Age 737), Gohan (born Age 756), Goten (born Age 767)  
> Patriarchal - Yas bloodline - Celipa (born Age 606)  
> Patriarchal - Monokuda bloodline - Toma (born Age 612)  
> Proximity of blood - Yasai bloodline (Royalty) - Vegeta III (born Age 589), Vegeta IV (born Age 732), Trunks (born Age 766)

It was a simple phrase, and it was one that was not used often. Bardock knew this, but he should have expected that his cousin would one day use the term incorrectly.

It had to be a mistake.

Right?

"Gine, wha-"

" _Karoeto, ch'nai_!"12 Gine cried out with her hands grabbing at the bottom of Bardock's armor plate. The older Saiyan pulled back, but Gine held on tightly, her eyes close shut in utter desperation for her cousin to listen to her. They were words that she shouldn't try to use yet, not as young as she was. She was hardly past an _al'sad_ 3 old! He was just past six _al'sadys_ , but he was much bigger than she. He was well settled into his prime, while she had yet to get there.

"Gine, calm down. You don't know what you're even saying." Bardock sighed. He set down the piece of equipment that his _mej'nai_ 4 had asked him to fix while here in their home. Gine frowned up at him, powerless to stop him from pulling away her fists from his armor plate. She could hardly leave dents in the material.

"Maybe if you didn't use _jin_ 5 words so much, you'd know what I'm saying, _ch'nai_."

"It's the Universal tongue," Bardock chided, walking away. He knew she was right behind him, just as she was when she was smaller and far more helpless. It was hard to believe that she was deemed an elite, especially for her personality. "And maybe you'd know the gravity of your words if you used them."

" _Jin_ words are too confusing, _ch'nai_ ," she complained, her tail loose and free for anyone to grab if Bardock had not been there. As one of the youngest in his _karte_ , but strong, it was Bardock's task while on-world to watch the little ones. Most of them went to their classes and training. Gine, however, had passed many of them with excellent scores and used that as an excuse to spend her precious training time with her older cousin. "They have too many words for too many things."

"Give me an example, Gine."

"Hmm..." The child pondered, her tail twitching behind her. Bardock led them to the central nest room, where the ventilation system had been ruined by the most recent storm. Bardock had already torn away all of the contorted polymer and metals that could not be salvaged... Yes, the new tube would be a good fit for this.

"Can't think of anything?"

"Let me think!" Gine pouted up at him, crawling into the nest and letting her tail poke out from the blankets that she had hidden herself in. Bardock bit his lip as he carefully used one of the heat-guns that his _mej'nai_ had for him to use. The chemical components would not react well to his energy, designed to be resistant to such things. Bardock wasn't used to this type of work, but he knew enough from growing up on his own to know how to haphazardly figure out a solution.

"Well, don't hurt yourself while thinking."

"Oh! _Ba'a_!" Gine poked her head out from the nest, smiling up at Bardock - though he could not see her face. She waited until he was half-way done with his task and paused to sit for a moment. " _Ba'a_ 6means too many things to _jin_. It means 'to see' and 'to watch' and 'to visual-'... 'viz-'"

"'Visualize'."

"That!" Gine7 pouted. "That sound that - zh - doesn't even fit in our words!"

"That's how we lost some of us, you know," Bardock scolded, flicking a finger at her forehead. Gine cried out, smiling up at her _ch'nai_. She came close, knowing that he had a story for her, as he always did; he had stories for everything.

"Tell me."

And he told her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: I love you. (towards a romantic/sexual partner)  
> 2: older brother (used towards older male relatives of the same generation)  
> 3: roughly 8 Earth years  
> 4: appointed brother (used towards older male relatives of previous generations; uncle)  
> 5: foreign/foreigner (also used as a slur towards an unfavored individual)  
> 6: Bardock - from the words ba'a (to see, to describe visually), dok'u (to know) - meaning "curious one"  
> 7: Gine - from the words gi'i (to be jealous), na (desire) - meaning "greedy one"


	2. Age 683 - Bardock and Ceripa

When they had met, they did not take kindly to each other. Their _mej'nai_ 2aTaro did not understand why the two siblings would not get along, but it did not deter him from trying to get the two children together when Ceripa's _ch'spa'nai_ 2b would allow it.

" _Pana_ 2bsays that I can do this!"

" _Jana_ 2a said no, Ripa!"

Taro watched as Ceripa disobeyed him yet again, grabbing some of his _kon'besy_ 2c that he had worked so hard to collect. Bardock was being so careful, watching closely as his _ch'mao_ 2d pulled the tomes from the shelf and began to turn the pages, looking for some sort of entertainment. It was rare for children to be up and around at this late hour, but Ceripa had been born to disobey.

" _Jana_ , what is this?" Taro came close and saw that Ceripa had turned the pages of one of his folklore texts. There, Juzupii2e \- his sainted - was portrayed, her pale face lovely and serene. Her hands ended in delicate, dexterous claws that had shaped much of their world.

"Don't you know the legend of Juzupii?"

Bardock pulled another book towards himself, staring at the pages. Ceripa listened attentively to Taro until she saw Bardock's attention go elsewhere.

Taro sighed, knowing that this relationship would go on forever, and it did.

For years, even after Taro died, this was the dynamic between the siblings. Bardock was watchful, analytical, while Ceripa was quick-thinking, eager, and occasionally more reckless than the average Saiyan. When their brother left, their _mej'nai_ had left them orders to care for one another, especially as they approached the age of being assigned to formal groupings. Nothing like when they were younger, when they would accompany adults - they would be thrown into combat without direction and they would have to survive.

"Ceripa!" The woman looked to Toma, one of Bardock's friends who was in the assignment area.

"Toma."

"You're in my group." Ceripa nodded, reaching out a hand in greeting. Toma smiled and took her hand, stroking his smallest finger at her knuckle. "And we're going to have Bardock as well."

Ceripa kept her polite smile on her face, even as Toma pulled away and waved Bardock over. She took to adjusting her one of her knee guards as her _bi'nai_ 2f approached. She gave a grunt as a greeting, not bothering to look up at her sibling.

They had become somewhat like strangers since their _mej'nai_ had begun his battles once again. Ceripa's _ch'spa'nai_ kept them apart often. When they were together, they would be put up to sparring, Ceripa often winning and Bardock going off to use his own time away from his sibling. They had been assigned to different training groups when they had finally gotten old enough.

It had been a long time since they would see each other on a regular basis.

Even as they received their assignment, having Toteppo and Panbukin there waiting for them, Ceripa did not look at her _bi'nai_. She spoke with Toteppo and Panbukin, recalling days when they were training. She heard in conversation that Toma and Bardock had been in the same training regiment together.

The assignment, their first, was harder than they had thought. Ceripa found herself separated from the group. Under a heavy wave of attack, Ceripa couldn't make an attempt to find her way back. Her arm was bleeding heavily, dislocated at the shoulder and elbow both. The pain was disorienting...

"Damn it..."

"Damn, Saiyan!" The strike to her head knocked her off balance, but Ceripa let her claws bare themselves, ripping off her glove with her fangs and scratching as much as she could with her uninjured arm. She roared, fangs out and looking for blood. She saw her opponent raise something up, but that wouldn't stop her! Nothing could stop-!

" _Josozai_!2g"

The enemy looked up, only to be knocked back by someone. If Ceripa could see better...

"Ceripa, move!"

Ceripa growled but obeyed. She knew the scent of her sibling, of Bardock. He grabbed her by the shoulder, rushing away from the enemy.

"Let me go!"

"You idiot! You were separated from us and you tried to do this on your own!" Bardock pulled them to a spot where they could hide. He wasted no time in stabbing something into Ceripa's disabled arm and went to start pressing her joints back where they needed to be. "How can you be so stupid!"

"Leave me alone, Bardock!" Ceripa pushed him away, but Bardock held on tight.

"You're always like this, Ceripa. You are reckless, out of place!"

"Why do you care?"

"Why do you think I volunteered to be on your damn team?!"

Ceripa growled, staring at her _bi'nai_ and seeing him properly for the first time in many _al'sadys_. He looked battle-hardened already. 

How? He was younger than her!

"You volunteered?"

"Of course. We're family." Bardock told to her exhale, which she did. At that moment, Bardock put her shoulder back into place. The pain spiked but faded rather quickly.

Family... Another _jin_ word that Bardock loved to use. A collection of parents, offspring and anyone else that a culture preferred to have together, nothing like a _karte_ , where...

Oh...

She'd been denying him for so long...

"Family."

She'd accept that.

" _Karoeto_."

Bardock tripped.

Ceripa smirked, walking on ahead as her _bi'nai_ followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2a: appointed male sibling of higher standing (male relative of a previous generation; uncle); diminutive - jana  
> 2b: older source brother (biological father); diminutive: pana  
> 2c: records, recordings, inscriptions, books (singular - kon'be)  
> 2d: older female sibling (used for those in the same generation)  
> 2e: youngest of the three moon goddesses of legend; guardian of children and prosperity  
> 2f: younger male sibling (used for those in the same generation)  
> 2g: a declaration of death to the receiving party


End file.
